The Brennan Center has issues a report, Americans’ Attitudes about the Influence of Super PAC Spending on Government and the Implications for our Democracy.

Download the Summary [pdf]

Download the Appendix [pdf]

It shows that the spending of Super PACs in this year’s election cycle has given rise to a large, bipartisan consensus that such outsized spending is dangerous for our democracy. Historical polling has repeatedly shown that Americans believe elected officials favor the interests of large contributors to their own campaign war-chests.  This new poll reveals for the first time that Americans have similar fears of elected officials favoring big donors to nominally independent Super PACs — and also that many are less likely to vote because of Super PAC spending.  

The poll reveals that nearly 70 percent of Americans believe Super PAC spending will lead to corruption and that three in four Americans believe limiting how much corporations, unions, and individuals can donate to Super PACs would curb corruption.  Of those who expressed an opinion, more than 80 percent believe that, compared with past elections, the money being spent by political groups this year is more likely to lead to corruption.  And, most alarmingly, the poll revealed that concerns about the influence Super PACs have over elected officials undermine Americans’ faith in democracy:  one in four respondents — and even larger numbers of low-income people, African Americans, and Latinos — reported that they are less likely to vote because big donors to Super PACs have so much more sway than average Americans.

The Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in January 2010 created the notion of SuperPACs.  So far, the race to replace David Wu for Oregon Congressional District 1 leads the way in SuprePAC money with almost $2.2 million spent.   That will change over the summer, as races in the November election come into play.